U21 SENIOR CUP REPORT: BURNLEY 3-0 BLACKBURN ROVERS

Main Club Sponsor

TICKETS

SHOP

Clarets progress into County Cup final for second season running with three-goal haul against Rovers

2023-05-05T08:00:00.000Z

U21 SENIOR CUP REPORT: BURNLEY 3-0 BLACKBURN ROVERS

Clarets progress into County Cup final for second season running with three-goal haul against Rovers

2023-05-05T08:00:00.000Z

Clarets progress into County Cup final for second season running with three-goal haul against Rovers

Burnley’s U21 side are into the Lancashire Senior Cup final for the second season in succession after sweeping aside Blackburn Rovers in the last four of the competition, running out 3-0 winners.

Striker Joe Westley’s goal late on in the first half was the catalyst for what proved a comfortable morning at the Burnley Training Centre as Seb Thompson & Deji Sotona both got their names on the scoresheet in the second 45 to set up a final showdown with Barrow AFC.

There was just one change to the side from Monday’s 4-2 defeat against Swansea City at Turf Moor, and it came in net as Harry Moss returned to replace Charlie Casper.

First Half

Visitors Blackburn started the brighter as Sam Burns first struck over from distance before sending a glancing header over the bar. His teammate, and captain, George Pratt then met Georgie Gent’s free-kick into the box, but again the effort went over without troubling Moss.

Still on top, Rovers saw efforts from both Zak Gilsenan & striker Burns go wide of the mark, with the latter also denied by a big block from Jack Turner moments later.

Having bided their time tough, the Clarets hit the front foot with three minutes of the half remaining.

Jez Davies found space on the left to drill a low cross into the path of Westley, who tapped past Felix Goddard and into the back of the net on the stretch, scoring against our East Lancashire rivals at U21 level just as he did at U18 level earlier this season.

Second Half

Burnley were on the front foot from the off at the restart, and it should’ve been two on 49 minutes as the ball was recycled from a corner out wide to Thompson who picked out Turner in the box, but the defender’s first-time strike went just the wrong side of the post.

The second though did come just two minutes later as Thompson again picked up the ball out wide, this time driving inwards to the edge of the area where he unleashed a ferocious strike which beat Goddard, netting for the second time this week.

U21 SENIOR CUP REPORT: BURNLEY 3-0 BLACKBURN ROVERS - Image 2

Soon after, midfielder Davies almost made it three, sending a shot just wide with the outside of his foot. Matthew Litherland then hammered over from a matter of yards out at the other end, while Thompson brought a fine stop out of Goddard with a set-piece.

As the visitors searched for a route back into the game, Clarets ‘keeper Moss was called into action. Tipping a rasping strike around the post from Gilsenan, he then reacted well to hold onto a header from Jalil Saadi at the resulting corner.

And completing a trio of important stops to preserve his clean sheet, Moss then denied Burns who had skipped past two challenges in the area to carve out the opportunity for himself.

Withstanding that pressure, Burnley responded with a third goal to seal the deal via substitute Sotona. In a quite simply magnificent moment, the attacker beat countless Rovers defenders tight on the touchline, touching the ball past them and then keeping cool to steer past Goddard with a curling effort.

It could’ve been four before the full-time whistle came as Goddard denied Thompson with a low strike from a free-kick earned via the sheer frustration of Mike Sheron’s side, who felled Kade Ratchford on a counter-attack.

3-0 it remained though, setting up a final against Barrow to be played in the build-up to the 2023/24 campaign as part of the U21s pre-season plans.

In the nearer future, the Clarets round off this season with a trip to Watford on Tuesday – 9th May -, taking on the Hornets at Vicarage Road in the Professional Development League (1pm KO).

Burnley: Moss, Healy-Byrne, Sassi, Turner, McCullough, Bauress, Davies (Ratchford ‘59), Hugill, Thompson, Westley (Sotona ‘59), Tweedy (Williams ‘81)

Unused Subs: Waller, Grant

Blackburn Rovers: Goddard, Duru, Batty, Pratt ©, Litherland, Weston, Wood, Gilsenan, Burns (Nsangou ‘79, Edmondson (Saadi ‘57), Gent (O’Grady-Macken ‘57)

Unused Subs: Eastham, Montgomery

Goals: Westley, ‘42, Thompson, ‘51, Sotona, ‘85